What's it like when a seal grabs your fish?
Do the seals ever get hooked or do they know how to avoid the hooks?

Ah Joe, that's one of the experiences we cape cod fisherman know well. No mistaking it. If daytime you will see it, never thought a 650 plus pound animal could be so agile as they twist and turn on a dime chasng your bass or bluefish as you reel frantically to get the fish to the beach before he gets it. Usually you lose.

If the fishing is good they know it and wait for people to hook up.

There will be an explosion and spray of white water and your rod will go hard over and your drag will scream for mercy, your reel will actually get warm and sometimes actually hot.

There is no way to stop them most times. You can pull hard if your plug has barbless hooks and maybe save it but that is rare. You forced to snap off.

At night you just feel the hit on your fish and the frieght train takes off and you try to break off. Playing one is futile.

Last year I hit RP one morning with a brand new Polaris knock off I made. Yellow custom paint, it was beautiful. I was test casting it 1st cast when a bluefish of maybe 10 to 12 pounds ate it. Oh well it will have some teeth marks I thought. Just then out of nowhere a giant horsehead seal ate the bluefish, I pulled hard and succeeded in freeing the plug but it left the bluefish's mouth only to stick both sets of trebles in the seals head. I was using my conventional with 50 pound braid. I actaully played that beast for a few minutes but then he had had enough and took off and snapped the braid with a bang.

I can still see that horsehead shaking his head to try and get that plug out of his hide and the plug didn't budge. I hope he got a good headache.

In plain english it really really sucks.

Seals will occasionally hit a lure, especially poppers and needlefish. During the day if you have a fish on you can generally see the seal chase the fish to the top then pursue- just like Shamoo. If you have a bluefish on you can feel the fish fight change, a lot like a livelined bait flees from a bass. Bluefish flee from the seal, bass just take it. At night seals seem stealthier - imagine tying your line to the bumper of a car and the car driving off at 5 mph and you'll get an idea.

the 1st time it's a novely, by the 5th time it begins to get tiring, and by the 10th time you're ready to fight.

Seals will occasionally hit a lure, especially poppers and needlefish. During the day if you have a fish on you can generally see the seal chase the fish to the top then pursue- just like Shamoo. If you have a bluefish on you can feel the fish fight change, a lot like a livelined bait flees from a bass. Bluefish flee from the seal, bass just take it. At night seals seem stealthier - imagine tying your line to the bumper of a car and the car driving off at 5 mph and you'll get an idea.

the 1st time it's a novely, by the 5th time it begins to get tiring, and by the 10th time you're ready to fight.

"Ready to fight" amen to that Brother, amen to that!

Seals will occasionally hit a lure, especially poppers and needlefish. During the day if you have a fish on you can generally see the seal chase the fish to the top then pursue- just like Shamoo. If you have a bluefish on you can feel the fish fight change, a lot like a livelined bait flees from a bass. Bluefish flee from the seal, bass just take it. At night seals seem stealthier - imagine tying your line to the bumper of a car and the car driving off at 5 mph and you'll get an idea.

the 1st time it's a novely, by the 5th time it begins to get tiring, and by the 10th time you're ready to fight.

"Ready to fight" amen to that Brother, amen to that!

And yes they really like needlefish, come right to the beach in a big wake chasing them, especially with an eelskin or "essence" on them.

That's crazy.....

On a slightly different note: what gear would it take to land a seal? (no harpoons allowed :-)
Sounds like even tuna gear wouldn't be enough...

That's crazy.....

more than crazy Joe, sadly it's the truth. Seals taking advantage of fishermen while the seal gets an easy meal has been a reality on the Cape beaches for as long as I have been fishing out there since 97 :(
They are the Hoovers of the sea.

Kenyee, It takes a decent rod and reel setup and experience fighting large prey, Tony S landed one on Nauset once, and he got his plug back I think. I just about whipped a small seal on Nauset in 2001 but after 4 runs it was in close enough for me to see it coming up for air so I opened the bail to allow it to scrape the hooks out and I tried to reel in what was left of a 30" bass as my reel was ruined. I did that with 14 lb fireline on a 9 ft rod.

I have had them hit my fish whether bluefish or bass at night unexpectedly quite a few times.
I can't count how many plugs and fish I've lost to them at sunrise :(
You hookup with fish, then sometime during the fight(while you pray that some other poor bastard has the seal chasing his fish instead of yours) all of a sudden you see the submarine buldge of a wake persuing your fish, the bluefish darts, jumps and does whatever to get away from his almost certain fate. It takes the sport and fun right out of hokking a 10-12 lb bluefish from shore as you now have to reel him in like mad, sometimes I'll run up the beach too, it works. The seal sometimes chases all the way to 5 feet of the shoreline. I was in the water one time and one got way too close for my comfort one time.
Also you can open your bail once your fish is stolen and wait for the seal to eat it and leave the head, most times they can avoid the plug which is usually in the fishes mouth and the seal does not get any hooks in them at all. Sometimes they are done with it so you reel it in then another seal sees it moving and grabs it a couple of times it happened like that, untill you get it all the way back in. When using tins you have a good chance to allow the seal to eat what it wants then reel in the rack since it's only one hook, but most times the line breaks at some point so I don't get anything back.

One time I was ready for it, Saltiga 6000gt reel, 65 lb test whiplash line, 52 lb leader, on an all star 1266 rod with the drag set at 25 pounds :eek: I stopped a seal about 600 pounds atleast and I thought the rod would break, 30 seconds of tug and war and a few headshakes and pop the line broke.

They eat live eels too for your info

anyway, that is my 2 cents:realmad::realmad::realmad:


that took so long to type I was logged out by the time I hit reply :rollem:

I hooked up with a seal on the south side of the Vineyard last fall. I have half a hook to show for it. The other half is still in the seals jaw.

Reading on after this post I never thought that when the seal stopped and turned to look at me as having turned the seal, but maybe I did.

One time I was ready for it, Saltiga 6000gt reel, 65 lb test whiplash line, 52 lb leader, on an all star 1266 rod with the drag set at 25 pounds :eek: I stopped a seal about 600 pounds atleast and I thought the rod would break, 30 seconds of tug and war and a few headshakes and pop the line broke.

yow...time to upgrade to deep sea fishing conventional gear w/ 100# line? :err:
I never looked at the Saltiga's specs before...that's a pretty impressive spinning reel.

feel the burn Bruce

It took a while but I've learned not to fight them. The initial hit is a rush, but after that just le the seal eat. Put the rod on your hip and relax, when he's done, he'll let you have your plug back. The first one, I actually turned him, 65#braid, 40# leader, my heavy setup, thought I'd win. Then he noticed me...crack!! and my plug was gone..

I fought a harbor seal that ate my favorite needle last year until I had him 15' out in the rocks on very dark night at about 2am. Took 45" of incredible pressure with heavy conventional tackle. Of course for the first 10" I was sure I had the bass of a lifetime. The next 20" I was hoping for a big shark. By the end I knew what I had and was pissed. Eventually decided I had no way to handle him by myself and get my plug back, so I broke him off. Left me drained, weak, and shakey. Finished fishing for the night. Could have easily broken a rod, twisted a reel frame, or had a heart attack. A good test of what you and your tackle can stand, but not something I'd ever do again. The analogy of a car driving off at 5MPH in the night was exactly what it felt like. By the way, I could see Rhode Island from where I was fishing so I suspect it will not be long before you guys start to see them as well.

It happened to me for the first time about five years ago at the Race, since then it is fairly common. I average about 5 to 10 times a year now. Seems like the seals have figured out that this is easy pickens. funny thing is in my case the seals have always avoided getting hooked.

The first time I hooked up what I thought was a blue when suddenly line just started to fly off my reel for about 50 yards and it suddenly stopped. I pulled hard and all of a sudden the fish is running right at me, I could hardly keep up reeling in the line. Then once agian line is flying off the reel for about 100 yards and sudenly stops. Another hard pull and once again the fish is coming right at me. Again it turns and pulls off about 50 yards but this time the seal comes to the surface holding the fish in it's flippers and mouth. A hard pull and the plug pops out and i get to watch the seal eat the blue. That time it was exciting now it's become a pain. Watched a seal shake the blue around brealing the line and sending a $15 plug flying several times now. These aren't the smaller harbor seals, these are those big ones.

One time I was ready for it, Saltiga 6000gt reel, 65 lb test whiplash line, 52 lb leader, on an all star 1266 rod with the drag set at 25 pounds :eek: I stopped a seal about 600 pounds atleast and I thought the rod would break, 30 seconds of tug and war and a few headshakes and pop the line broke.



I believe Mac and myself witnessed that .. Looked like you had enough Slip .. I don't go down there any more.. beautiful beaches,, but a waste of gas and time . I believe the seals have been trained by the fishers down there. If they see you with a fishing rod walking the beach they'll follow you, looking for an easy meal . They are much better fishers than us . No Contest ..

I believe Mac and myself witnessed that .. Looked like you had enough Slip .. I don't go down there any more.. beautiful beaches,, but a waste of gas and time . I believe the seals have been trained by the fishers down there. If they see you with a fishing rod walking the beach they'll follow you, looking for an easy meal . They are much better fishers than us . No Contest ..


This is the truth, /\ They are smart animals, I've had them follow me for quite a distance on cape beachs.

You may see one while your walking, then next thing you know there's 2 or 3 around when you start to fish, day or night it makes no difference.

R. Point can be so bad it's not worth fishing at times.

I've never even though of trying to fight one, they are HUGE animals, I cut my line and save what I can. After reading this thread I'm going to try waiting one out, let him eat the fish, and see if I can get my plug back.

Last year at Race Point my friend and I were fishing and he hooked into a bluefish and a seal got it. My friend was able to wrestle the fish from him and land it. Had teeth scrape marks going down the whole length of the fish. Pretty impressive.

Catch small bass, insert small explosive with cell activation.Have seal eat fish.Give him a call..
It's unbelieveable what they have done to the fishing up there.
Great Point on Nantucket had maybe a 1/2 dozen in 99'.In 2000 there where a hundred.Now 98 percent of the point is fenced off.I guess there is no way to complile hard numbers that show how the economy is suffering on the cape.I'm sure they are taking a big hit up there.Ask the tackle shop owners..The feeling of totaL helplessness has to really suck.There was a small harbor seal in the shrewsbury river this spring.they come every winter.This one stayed around longer than usuall.We all where trying to figure out how to get him...:realmad:Not sure what would happen if they invaded our waters en mass..I don't think the reception would be takin as lightly..Maybe a call to the Soprano's..
"Yo seal take this":gorez::deadhorse:

I believe Mac and myself witnessed that .. Looked like you had enough Slip .. I don't go down there any more.. beautiful beaches,, but a waste of gas and time . I believe the seals have been trained by the fishers down there. If they see you with a fishing rod walking the beach they'll follow you, looking for an easy meal . They are much better fishers than us . No Contest ..

i also agree with this statement. when hiking S. Beach or Nauset with a rod looking for fish, i'd always see one seal. then 3 seals. then 10. then 15 seals all following you or setting up on the outside of the bar right in front of you. only thing that seems to discourage them was if you launched a 3oz pencil in their vicinity. the splash would scare them and they'd take off, but only for a moment. friggin' PIA....

Wow! I never really fully understood it - it's been many moons since I have walked among the Sand People.

I guess I'll have to shut my pie hole about mosquitoes from now on...:smokin:

carry a 3 ounce or better hopikins, w/out hooks... for "casting practise" for these occasions... warning:... you will piss them off, if you connect.......

NIB's on the money as far as great point goes. Bass fishing in the rip is close to impossible. You might land a small fish if you can haul it in quick but you won't have time to fight a good fish.

I've had one of the big seals come all the way in, past the rut and right up to the beach after a hooked fish. It had to wait for the next wave to get back in...

I was fishing with my dad and a friend of ours a couple years ago and we were down under the lighthouse chasing albies, and with three of us fishing when one of us hooked up the other 2 reeled in & went on guard duty on either side of the hooked up guy ala Karl' s hopkins method. It kind of works but you can't do it when the 'seal watchers' are anywhere near ya. And last year on the weekends there were more range rover driving seal watchers, than fisherman. I guess you kind of have to expect that with what the islands turned into.

I did have one day last year when the seals just stayed on the beach and let you bring blues by them all afternoon and did not bother them. I was talking with some guys there trying to figure out what was going on, apparently they had taken so many fish that morning that they actually stopped eating.

Joe If you have a nice ,big ,flat rock on your coast down there in Rhode Island just pm me your location and I'll see if i can't send about 6000 seals down to you . Happy fur fishing

only thing that seems to discourage them was if you launched a 3oz pencil in their vicinity. the splash would scare them and they'd take off, but only for a moment. friggin' PIA....

I bet that is a learned reaction, wonder how many times they had a tin dinged off there heads?
Oops, just saw Karl's post